Circular No. 160/11/2012-ST
F.No.334/1/2012-TRU
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Excise & Customs
(Tax Research Unit)
*****
Room No. 153, North Block,
New Delhi, 29th June, 2012.
To
Chief
Commissioners of Customs and Central Excise (All)
Chief
Commissioners of Central Excise & Service Tax (All)
Directors
General of Service Tax/Central Excise Intelligence/Audit
Commissioners
of Central Excise & Service Tax (All)
Commissioners of Service Tax (All)
Commissioners
of Customs and Central Excise (All)
Madam/Sir,
Subject: Applicability
of provisions of the Finance Act, 2004 relating to education cess and the
Finance Act, 2007 relating to secondary and higher education cess– regarding.
There has
been some doubt regarding the applicability of provisions of the Finance Act,
2004 relating to education cess and the Finance Act, 2007 relating to secondary
and higher education cess as the concerned Acts make reference to section 66 of
the Finance Act, 1994, which shall cease to have effect from July 1, 2012. In this connection, as also in general, you
may kindly refer to the sub-section (1) of section 8 of the General Clauses
Act, 1897 which reads as under:
“Where this Act, or any Central Act or
Regulation made after reference to the commencement of this Act, repeals and
re-enacts, with or without modification, any provision of a former enactment,
then references in any other enactment or in any instrument to the provision so
repealed shall, unless a different intention appears, be construed as
references to the provisions so re-enacted.”
Thus
any reference to section 66 of the Finance Act, 1994 shall be construed as
reference to the newly re-enacted provision i.e. section 66B of the same
Act. Despite the stated position of law,
the matter has been settled by the issue of Removal of Difficulties Order No.
2/2012 dated 29.06.2012.
2. This circular may be
communicated to the field formations and service tax assessees through Public
Notice/Trade Notice. Hindi version would follow.
Yours faithfully,
(S. Jayaprahasam)
Technical Officer (TRU)
Tel/Fax: 011-23092037